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DOWNTIME COST CALCULATOR BY SYMESTIC

Downtime Cost Calculator

Use this downtime cost calculator to find out what unplanned downtime really costs your production – per event, per period, and annualized for the full year.

Guide FAQ
Reference period
Choose what your downtime duration refers to – this determines the annual projection.
1
Downtime
Duration of the downtime and the share of capacity affected.
Downtime duration
h
!
Per event or per selected period
Share of capacity affected
%
!
100 % = complete shutdown
2
Production & Margin
Throughput and contribution margin – the basis for lost profit.
Production rate
pcs/h
!
Throughput under normal operation
Contribution margin per unit
EUR
!
Profit per unit – NOT the selling price
=Lost units 600pcs
=Lost contribution margin 1.200 €
3
Continuing costs (optional)
Costs that still accrue during the downtime.
Idle staff (count)
!
Paid, unproductive employees
Labor cost per hour
EUR/h
!
Per employee, incl. payroll overhead
Overhead per hour
EUR/h
!
Fixed plant/machine costs that keep running
One-off costs per event
EUR
!
Repairs, rush surcharges, scrap, penalties
4
Projection & Currency
Annual projection and display currency.
Events per year
!
For the annual projection
Currency
per Week pcs
Largest cost block

Cost per hour
Downtime duration
5h
Annualized projection
Incl. hidden costs¹
¹ Studies (Aberdeen) show that direct losses often underestimate total costs by 40–60 %. Context note – not included in the figure.
∑
Annual projection
Enter the number of events per year on the left to see your annual downtime costs.
Cost breakdown
How the downtime costs break down per Week.
Total per period
Lost contribution margin
Labor cost (idle)
Overhead
One-off costs
! Please enter the contribution margin per unit – not the selling price. Using revenue would significantly overstate the costs.
Recommendations
Share & export your result
Your inputs are saved in the link – no account, no backend.
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Please enter the downtime duration, production rate, and contribution margin per unit to see your downtime costs.

A free tool from SYMESTIC – Manufacturing Execution System from the cloud.
GUIDE

How to calculate your downtime costs

Four steps from the key figures of your downtime to reliable costs – per event, per period, and annualized for the full year.

1
Capture the downtime
Enter the downtime duration in hours and define what share of your capacity is affected. 100 % means a complete shutdown; for a partial line, correspondingly less.
2
Production & Margin
Enter the production rate (units per hour under normal operation) and the contribution margin per unit – that is, the profit per unit, not the selling price. Variable costs are not incurred for units that are never produced.
3
Continuing costs
Optional: costs that still accrue despite the downtime – paid, unproductive staff, fixed plant/overhead costs per hour, and one-off costs per event such as repairs, rush surcharges, or scrap.
4
Projection & Currency
Choose the reference period (event, week, or month). For “event,” add the number of events per year – from this the calculator extrapolates your annual downtime costs.
The formula behind it
Downtime cost = Lost contribution margin + Labor cost + Overhead + One-off costs
Lost contribution margin = Production rate × affected capacity × contribution margin per unit × duration
Labor cost = Number of idle employees × hourly rate × duration
Overhead = Overhead cost per hour × duration
Annual value = Period value × 52 (week) or × 12 (month) or × events per year
Reading the result
The donut shows the largest cost block, the breakdown shows the composition per period, and the projection shows the full annual impact. You can share the result link or export it as a PDF – your inputs stay saved in the link.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions about downtime costs

Answers to the most important questions about calculating and reducing downtime costs in production.